Florida Stuns Ole Miss 52-28

Published Fri. Sep 25th, 2026

Florida emerged from the big win over Mississippi looking like a definite contender for the National Championship. Everyone new going in the swamp would be a tough environment, but no one expected a blow out.

In the ACC - There were 10 games involving ACC teams, and the conference had a very strong day overall.

The biggest result was Wake Forest 30, No. 16 Louisville 27. Wake went into Louisville and pulled the upset behind Gio Lopez and Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez caught nine passes for 194 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown. Connor Calvert's 32-yard field goal gave Wake the late lead, and a blocked 57-yard Louisville field-goal attempt sealed it. This was easily one of the most significant ACC results of the weekend.

Virginia Tech 21, Boston College 14 was another important conference game. Played in extremely difficult weather, Virginia Tech trailed 14-6 before scoring 15 fourth-quarter points. Jeffrey Overton Jr. was the difference, rushing for 209 yards, including the 76-yard touchdown that put the Hokies ahead. Virginia Tech improved to 4-0.

Several ACC teams overwhelmed nonconference opponents. Pitt beat Bucknell 59-0, Florida State defeated Central Arkansas 34-7, Duke crushed William & Mary 62-7, Virginia beat Delaware 42-3, and No. 6 Miami routed Central Michigan 52-3. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah was especially impressive: 23-of-27 for 338 yards and three passing touchdowns as Miami moved to 4-0.

NC State 41, Appalachian State 31 was much more interesting. NC State built a 28-7 advantage, only to watch Appalachian State fight all the way back to a 31-31 tie. Duke Scott then scored the go-ahead touchdown and finished with 148 rushing yards and two scores. For NC State, that was an important response after the previous week's loss at Vanderbilt.

The two other ACC results were No. 22 SMU 34, Missouri State 24 and Stanford 34, Georgia Tech 27.

The headline for me is that the ACC's established contenders mostly handled their business, but Wake Forest's upset of Louisville changed the complexion of the conference race, while undefeated Miami and Virginia Tech continued building momentum.

Wake Forest going into Louisville and beating the sixteenth team was a huge one. 30 to 27. Then Virginia Tech battled past Boston College in a messy, weather-plagued game. Miami, Pitt, Duke, and Florida State all rolled in non-conference games. NC State had to survive a scare against Appalachian State, but pulled it out. And Stanford edged Georgia Tech late. Overall, pretty solid day for the league.

For the Big Ten, Saturday produced several major results. No. 17 Iowa stunned No. 18 Michigan 20–19 in Ann Arbor, scoring the winning touchdown with only two seconds remaining. Wisconsin pulled another upset, beating No. 13 Penn State 24–20 after scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

No. 20 Oregon made a major statement at USC, defeating the No. 12 Trojans 41–27 behind 504 yards of offense. No. 7 Ohio State took care of Illinois 42–19, with Julian Sayin throwing for 367 yards and Jeremiah Smith piling up 217 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Elsewhere, UCLA crushed Maryland 54–3, Nebraska stayed unbeaten with a 31–13 road win over Michigan State, and Minnesota held off Washington 27–24 in Seattle. The conference's roughest nonconference result came at Purdue, where No. 3 Notre Dame dominated the Boilermakers 49–10.

The biggest Big Ten storylines coming out of the weekend are Iowa's dramatic win at Michigan, Wisconsin's upset at Penn State, and Oregon's impressive road victory over USC.

In the Big Ten, there were a lot of games worth noting. Indiana stayed unbeaten but had to grind past Northwestern 29-23. Ohio State looked sharp, taking care of Illinois, 42-19. But the shockers? Iowa stunned Michigan in Ann Arbor with a touchdown in the final seconds. And Wisconsin rallied past Penn State 24-20 in Happy Valley. Oregon going into USC and winning convincingly was a big statement, 41-27. UCLA blew out Maryland, Nebraska stayed perfect at Michigan State, and Minnesota held off Washington in Seattle. Tough day for Purdue, though. Notre Dame rolled them.

In the Big 12, the result that jumps out is No. 15 Utah going into Ames and beating Iowa State 31–17. Utah moved to 4–0, with Wayshawn Parker rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

Cincinnati also stayed perfect at 4–0, coming from behind to beat previously unbeaten Kansas State 31–26. UCF opened conference play with a 21–13 victory over TCU, while Baylor pulled away from Colorado for a 23–13 win. Oklahoma State had a big second half at West Virginia, winning 41–24 behind 609 yards of offense.

Outside conference play, No. 11 Texas Tech rolled over Sam Houston 49–14, No. 25 Houston beat Georgia Southern 42–28, and Arizona went on the road and defeated Washington State 34–24. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman threw four touchdown passes in that victory.

So the major Big 12 takeaways for me are Utah's impressive road win, Cincinnati remaining unbeaten, and Oklahoma State's strong performance in Morgantown.

Utah went into Ames and beat Iowa State 31-17, that was impressive. Cincinnati stayed unbeaten, rallying past Kansas State 31-26. UCF beat TCU, Baylor handled Colorado, and Oklahoma State put up a ton of yards in a 41-24 win at West Virginia. Texas Tech rolled over Sam Houston, and Houston beat Georgia Southern. Arizona also grabbed a good road win at Washington State.

Florida just stunned number four Ole Miss 52-28. That was a huge one. Texas went into Tennessee and won a defensive grinder, 20-17.

In the SEC, the biggest result was No. 21 Florida knocking off No. 4 Ole Miss 52–28. Florida rushed for 302 yards, with Jadan Baugh running for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 1 Texas survived a real test at Tennessee, 20–17, while No. 2 Georgia dominated Oklahoma 41–13. Georgia forced four turnovers and improved to 4–0.

Alabama looked extremely impressive, beating South Carolina 49–18 behind Keelon Russell's 365 passing yards and four touchdown passes. LSU also made a statement, holding No. 23 Texas A&M to only six points in a 35–6 victory.

Another result worth watching was No. 24 Mississippi State beating No. 19 Missouri 31–24, keeping Mississippi State unbeaten at 4–0. Auburn held off Vanderbilt 21–15, Kentucky beat South Alabama 45–21, and Arkansas handled Tulsa 34–6.

So for me, the three results that really define the SEC weekend are Florida's upset of Ole Miss, Texas surviving Tennessee on the road, and the convincing performances by Georgia, Alabama and LSU.

Elsewhere, number two Georgia hammered Oklahoma, and Alabama looked scary good against South Carolina. LSU handled A&M comfortably. Mississippi State knocked off Missouri. And Auburn survived Vanderbilt. Kentucky and Arkansas both took care of business too. Big story though? Florida's upset. That reshapes the SEC picture.

The Billingsley Report is now online along with the Week 6 Projections.